


The Calling

by PastelCatt



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama & Romance, Existential Angst, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Internal Conflict, Rivalry, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-10-17 14:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17562212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastelCatt/pseuds/PastelCatt
Summary: She had vowed to herself that she would dedicate her life to serving Hydaelyn and those in need until her last breath, no matter how hard it could prove to be. After all, she was the Warrior of Light, and with great power came great responsibility, as she was well aware of. Still, she could not help but notice how her thoughts had begun wandering to a certain Prince of Doma, and how her heart seemed to skip a beat whenever she heard the deep, melodious sound of his voice... And she enjoyed it. Fate has a funny way of doing things.(forgive me for the potentially misleading title, I had barely finished the Stormblood MSQ when I began writing this O.o)





	1. Their Agreement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not yet begun the post-Stormblood MSQ, so please do not shoot me on the spot if any information here is outdated. Just treat it like an AU, as Hien x WoL is highly unlikely to become canon, unfortunately (although, personally, I would not mind at all :3).

"So, to summarize, you would like me to go back to Eorzea with you?"

You give him a short, determined nod. "Yes." You anxiously bite your lower lip, your heart racing as you waited for his response. Your heart sank when he let out a tired sigh and rubbed his face with his hand. In that moment, he looked at least 20 summers older than he actually was.

Suddenly, he removed his hand from his face, a twinkle in his eyes as his mouth widened into a boyish grin. "As I will eventually have to travel to Eorzea, with this Alliance in place and all, I do not see any reason to object to this rather unusual request. I must admit, I had not quite expected to be escorted by the Warrior of Light herself."

"Well, this _W_ _arrior of Light_ does do other things apart from kicking the backsides of unruly people and creatures, you know. Amazingly, I have a personal life - can you believe it?"

"Duly noted. I shall do my best to remember that in the future."

"Indeed, you should."

* * *

**Two days later...**

It was late afternoon. The sun was just about beginning to set, and you began to worry as you sat on the edge of the roof on one of the abandoned buildings near the flooded Doma Castle, which was still pending reconstruction. Had he been held up by political affairs? Had he forgotten about your agreement to meet here? Countless questions nagged at you as you hugged your knees, rocking gently back and forth as you continued waiting.

You sharply tilted your head upwards when you heard the familiar call of a Yol, although it was not yours, as you had not summoned it. It felt like your heart had skipped a beat, only to plummet when you recognized the rider of the Yol as none other than Yugiri, one of Hien's retainers. You got to your feet just as Yugiri leapt off her Yol and landed gracefully on the roof without a sound, bowing to you in greeting. "My deepest apologies. I'm afraid that my Lord will be significantly delayed. He sends his fondest regards and wishes for you to know that he will get back to you as soon as possible."

Of course he had been delayed, you bitterly thought to yourself, mentally reprimanding yourself for having allowed yourself to not only hope but even  _expect_ him to show up at the agreed time. After all, he  _was_ the heir to the throne of Doma. Even someone like you could not hope to spend more than a fleeting moment with him, much less an entire journey to another continent. "...Right. Thank you for bringing me this message, Yugiri." You paused, hesitant about letting out too much personal information regarding yourself. "I-I had hoped to escort him on his first journey to Eorzea, although that can, of course, be set aside for the time being if he is preoccupied with more important matters."

Yugiri smiled at you, like she knew something that you did not, or at least did not expect her to know. "You have grown rather fond of the young Lord these past few moons, have you not? Do not fret, your secrets are safe with me. I am under no obligations to tell him such things unless he specifically instructs me to."

You sighed, looking at the castle - or what remained of it. "We are simply friends. Nothing more, nothing less. I have no place by a future ruler's side, you know that. I live to fight, to liberate, to save those who cannot save themselves. No matter how hard I try to tell myself that I have other things to live for, in the end, I, as so many others, have to face the cold, hard truth. Such desires are not mine to take part in. As a fellow warrior, you understand that, do you not?"

She nodded slowly, her smile gone. She stepped closer to you, clasping her hands together in front of her as she looked at the castle as well. "Yes, that is true. I do understand the sacrifices we have to make, the oaths we have to swear. However, I am fully content with my life the way it is. I would not wish for it to be any other way. After all, I have a purpose as well as loyal comrades, and I do not require any more. You, on the other hand, find yourself in constant conflict. You believe that the path of a warrior is all there is for you, but you have been misled. There are many paths out there, and not all of them are binding nor forbid you from engaging in what gives you peace of mind. Listen to your heart, and if your gut agrees... Well, then go for it. My place is here, as my Lord's servant. Yours may just turn out to be where you least expect it to be."

You were speechless as you struggled to find the appropriate words, your lips moving without making any sound until you finally found your voice. "...You really think so?" You turned to look at Yugiri with a new level of respect. You had not quite expected her to be so deep or capable of such a moving speech. Well, you had known that she was very decisive and determined, with a slight tendency to act without giving it much thought, as the results of your combined attempt to take the life of a certain Garlean Prince had shown.

She smiled again, a new fondness in her eyes as your gazes met. "I _know_ so." She gave you a pat on the shoulder before stepping back, smoothly switching back to her usual professional stance. "I will keep you updated on my Lord's status. In the meantime, take care." She bowed once more and was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will never be enough Hien x WoL in this world... T_T
> 
> Also, this chapter is more of a "taste test" to see whether it's worth committing myself to a full story, or whether I should just spare myself and everyone else the agony and cut it right here. If it becomes anything, future chapters will be longer. Quite a bit longer, with a bit of luck and inspiration. ^^


	2. Hien...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those of you who have commented so far: Thank you for motivating me to write more! The only thing about this story that makes me happier than shipping Hien and the Warrior of Light together is seeing happy readers. ^^
> 
> By all means, let me know what you think. And if you have any suggestions to how I can improve or what might be totally awesome to include, feel free to share it with me in PM or in a comment :)
> 
> And now, onward to the story! ^o^

It had been quite some time since you had last heard from Hien himself. According to Yugiri, there had been a lot of trouble with some stray Garlean technology that was causing mayhem in what was left of Doma Castle.

Of course, you had been kept busy by personal interests. Seeing as you did not have any of your... unique duties, for the time being, you now had plenty of time to yourself, so you had decided to pursue other ways of life, as Yugiri had suggested to you. Although, you could not help but feel a great sadness as you travelled back to Eorzea on your own to visit each of the three main city states.

You reflected on this as you leaned over your desk, your palm resting on an elegantly crafted sheet of paper, the tip of the feather quill in your hand hovering over the paper. You had been attempting to write a letter. However, you had only managed to write:

> _Dear Lord Hien,_

The rest of the page remained blank, as you struggled to find the words to express yourself at this moment. It had been a very long time since you had last composed a letter, as you usually communicated with others either in person or via linkshell. Still, you did not think it would be appropiate for you to simply walk up to him and puke an entire list of everything you had experienced since the last time you saw him. Better to do such a thing in writing.

You glanced at the wall to your left where you stored a couple of katanas on specially designed wall-mounted holders. It brought a glow of warmth to your heart when you looked at the one that Hien had bestowed upon you, through Yugiri, as an apology for being unable to travel with him to Eorzea. He had heard of your intentions to try out something new and suggested in a note that you could try the life of a samurai, to see whether it would suit you.

Well, it had been fairly interesting. Until you had whipped it out to slay an A-rank beast, dazzled a passing adventurer on his mount as he flew over your head... and he had flown his motorcycle into a pile of rocks and had to be sent all the way back to Gridania to recover. Yikes.

After that, you had been advised by the Elder Seedseer herself to refrain from wielding something so shiny ever again.

That was when inspiration slammed into you like Lyuba’s infamous stunning attack. Fortunately, only metaphorically.

> _Dear Lord Hien,_
> 
> _I presume that you are quite well, with two of the finest warriors that this world has to offer to watch over you._
> 
> _Hopefully, we will be able to find a time to travel to Eorzea together. There is so much that I want you to see first-hand, and it honestly pains me to think that you are stuck back in Doma when there is so much more to experience. Perhaps you would be able to sneak out sometime?_
> 
> _I jest, of course. You should do what feels right to you. I simply hope that it does not take much longer to straighten out these affairs that keep you from seeing more of the world._
> 
> _Best regards,_

You paused just as you were about to sign your name. As a jolt of pain passed through your head, making you grit your teeth to not yelp in pain, you suddenly felt like you were about to make a terrible mistake, whatever that would have been. Instead, you wrote:

> _The Warrior of Light_

You stared at the signature for a long moment. You did not like signing a letter like this, especially not such a personal one. It felt too artificial. However, gifted as you were with the power of short-term foresight, it would be best to trust your instincts. Just in case.

You folded the letter and slipped it into an equally elegant envelope, sealing it and handing it to the messenger moogle who had been patiently waiting for you to finish your letter.

"I will make this one my top priority, kupo!" The moogle took the envelope, did an excited mid-air twirl and flew out the window. It was gone within seconds.

You sat back in your chair, smiling to yourself at how quick and efficient the moogles' postal service was. It was as if they could deliver letters and packages within a matter of seconds, although it surely took at least an hour to get so far as Doma from here.

Picking up the cup of tea on your desk, you took a sip from it.

Only to spit it out almost right away out of sheer surprise when the door behind you suddenly flew open, and there stood none other than Yugiri, panting in the doorway and leaning heavily to one side.

"Uh, perhaps you could knock next-" you began but were sharply interrupted.

"No time. You need to help us, Lord Hien is gravely ill, and no physician knows what is the matter with him!" She practically yelled that at you, and you could tell from the pleading look in her eyes and her drooping eyelids that she must have traveled non-stop, and not always by mount, and that this must certainly be a matter of life or death.

You shot up from your chair in alarm, your heart was racing, and not out of excitement. This time, you could feel the icy tendrils of fear snaking their way around your heart. "Oh gods... We have got to be able to do something!" You were already rummaging through your storage in search of your White Mage cane and clothing, quickly stuffing the clothing into the nearest bag as you rediscovered it. The cane was strapped to your back, and, gripping the bag with one hand, you began to cast a teleport spell.

_...I will raise you to heights you have never been to... and tear you down to depths you can never imagine..._

You were interrupted in your casting by a chill running down your spine as you heard those words as if someone had just whispered them into your ear. "Did you just say something, Yugiri?" You quickly looked around for another person but only saw her in the room.

She gave you a blank look. "What do you mean?"

"I... actually, never mind. We have no time to lose."

* * *

 "Hien... What  _in the_   _Seven Hells_ do you think you're doing?!" You could just have sunk to your knees in disappointment, burying your face in your hands and shaking your head from side to side. Although that would not have been particularly befitting of someone with your status. Instead, you stood there with your arms folded across your chest as you gave him a stern frown.

The ruler-to-be in question simply shook his head, grinning with that... that usual boyish grin that never failed to melt your heart on the spot. He swung the bottle in his hand carelessly out to the side, the remaining contents in the bottom swirling around for a moment afterwards. "Necessitating the return of the Warrior of Light, of course. Surely you did not believe that your healing skills had gone entirely unnoticed and unheard of?"

"...You need to pull yourself together. Where's the man I met on the Azim Steppe?"

He sighed, slumping his shoulders. "I require a break. From  _everything_. Even a momentary one would be marvelous at this point. With you being practically the savior of multiple nations, I was hoping to find a kindred soul with whom I could take a small... unauthorized outing." He chuckled. "I could imagine you being the expert when it comes to that." His eyes suddenly sparkled with joy as he looked up at you again. "You know, to feel as _alive_ as I did back on the Azim Steppe."

You gave it some thought. "Hmm... I suppose it could not hurt to give you a little taste of my life. After all, it would be nice to have a companion sticking with me all the way for a change." As stoic as you appeared on the outside, you were practically screaming with joy on the inside at the mere thought of having Hien's full attention once more. You could almost feel yourself glowing with warmth as you watched the smile grow on his face.

"Then it is settled. Although, how would you feel about stopping by Kugane to sample some of their tea?"

You could not contain your joy any longer as you grinned from ear to ear and nodded. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

It was difficult to recall a time when you had been having more fun while drinking tea, of all things. Not like you drank a lot of alcohol, either, as it would put you in a weakened state and potentially unable to defend even yourself. Either that or you could just end up doing some... things that you would most likely end up regretting later. Alcoholism was not for the Warrior of Light, unfortunately.

Thankfully, you could have far more fun with tea when you had _the future ruler of Doma_  sitting on a bar stool next to you, babbling on about all sorts of things from Far Eastern politics to what he thought of cherry blossoms. You were fairly certain by now that he was a little more than slightly drunk. Having dealt with other people's hangovers before, you were prepared to carry him back to the Bokairo Inn if that turned out to be necessary. With a bit of difficulty, seeing as mounts were not permitted in Kugane.

"Sometimes, I wonder... how will I determine who I marry?"

You nearly choked on your tea when that unexpected question reached your ears. Spluttering a little, you needed to take a moment to recover. "I suppose that would be entirely up to you."

"Indeed, it will." The sincere stare he was giving you now made you feel rather hot all of a sudden. "I have been thinking..."

_Please don't say what I think you're about to say,_ you thought to yourself as your eyes darted around the room, searching for something that could distract him. You preferred to avoid such a question that you could not give a simple answer to, like whipping out your weapon of choice or giving someone some sort of gesture.

"Look. After all this time... I do not believe that the life of a ruler will truly suit me. I will eventually have to marry someone I barely know, and then I will be practically confined to my lands. Fighting for what my people believe in is one thing, idly sitting around in some castle is another."

"...Wait what!?" You were not sure whether what you thought that you heard was correct.

He reached for your hands and gently took them, looking into your eyes with those sincere eyes that still burned with a passion that always got to you. You could not resist. You wanted him so badly to just hold your hands, and...

"While I am aware of what a selfish request this is... Would you consider running away with me?"

Those words sounded so unlike him. You could scarcely believe that he had said that, if he had not been right in front of you as those words came from his mouth. His eyes were so sincere, it could not be a joke. He truly meant it.

Before you knew what you were doing, your lips whispered the one thing you knew that you were not supposed to say: "Yes."

In a split second, an all-too-familiar bright red mask appeared in front of his face. You gasped in horror as you realized what had happened.

You had been deceived. But it was too late. He held your hands with a grip of iron as he pulled you closer until you felt his warm lips on yours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been at this chapter for wayyy too long. Simply felt that I should finally give it the final polish and get it out there. :P
> 
> It was incredibly tricky to find a suitable chapter title, so I just went with what summarized the chapter best: "Hien...", because it really is just about him being somewhat odd... and the WoL just rolling with it like any lovesick girl would do once she begins having hearts in her eyes. Even to the point where she gets deceived by her enemy. Welp, rest in pieces, I guess~


	3. Twist of Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who were utterly baffled by a missing chunk of information in the last chapter, I've done my best to make up for it in this chapter. I suppose I was trying a little too hard to create suspense and ended up rolling a critical fail in the process ^^;;
> 
> EXTRA NOTE: Due to a critical fail from yours truly, the ending of this chapter has been altered slightly on the 6th of March and is probably worth re-reading for those who have read the original version. Well, the ending is, anyway.

Hien - or rather, an Ascian with the body of Hien - was _kissing_ you. You did not know whether to be flattered or utterly disgusted. Still, it felt so good. Yet so wrong at the same time.

 _Because it is wrong_ , you thought to yourself bitterly, as you were helplessly pulled into an embrace. Whoever this Ascian was, he was really making a show of it. It would seem that they were the type to gloat over their victories, after all. At least, this one was.

"Release me," you snarled at him. "Or, I swear, I'll..." Your voice drifted off as you could not come up with anything you would be willing to do that would risk harming Hien, even if all that was present at this moment was his body.

"Fool. You should not have let your guard down. Oh, love truly is a crippling thing, is it not? You almost make me pity you for being no better than any regular mortal. Perhaps I should at least let you know that he yearns for you in the way you do for him..."

"I will not discuss my feelings in front of someone like you. Now,  _release me_."

"Little fool, what could possibly lead you to believe that the Warrior of Light herself would be simply released once caught? You meddle too much in affairs that do not concern you, and for that, we shall have to clear you out of our way."

You did not know what to say. You were just as helpless as a rag doll and had no leverage in this moment. Still, there was one thing that you wanted an answer to. "...At least tell me what happened with Hien. First, I heard that he was gravely ill, but when I came to him, he was merely drunk and showed no signs of illness, at least not on the outside."

"I suppose that question is justified since you have never borne witness to the rite during which a mortal is possessed. Hmm... Why do I not allow you to see for yourself, seeing as you will never be able to meddle in our affairs once I finish with you?" He grinned, although this one was not Hien's usual boyish grin but the malicious one of a madman. "Come now, Warrior of Light. Use the Echo on your dear friend. Let us all review it together."

At first, you hesitated. The Echo was not within your control and neither were the visions that came with it. They simply came and went at random times. However, when the Ascian nodded to you, your head began to throb in that all-too familiar way, and the world went dark...

_You stood in what was most likely Hien's bedchamber. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, his head hanging down as he had his hands clasped together. He ran one of his hands through his hair, and you noticed that he had dark rings under his eyes, like he had not slept for days._

_You heard the door open with a quiet creak and turned to see... yourself enter the room. However, you could not recall having been in his bedchamber before, as you felt that it was highly inappropriate for you to do so. Still, this person was undeniably like you, just bolder. It had to be some highly talented impostor, you thought._

_"Oh dear, have I come at a bad time?" asked the fake you, looking genuinely concerned in the doorway._

_Hien looked up, his eyes twinkling with a renewed joy as he saw 'you'. He managed a grin, although it was not quite as carefree as you remembered it. "Come in. I would never turn down the honor, nay, the pleasure of the Warrior of Light herself coming to see me."_

_The fake you smiled innocently and walked in, carefully closing the door behind her. "I simply wanted to see how you were doing. I brought some Eorzean tulips for you. I even grew them myself."_

_He chuckled as 'you' walked over to him and presented a small bouquet to him. "You grow flowers yourself? Is there anything you do not do?" he asked as he took the flowers._

_"Well... I suppose seeing you every day is one of the things that I do not do, unfortunately."_

_You were practically seething with rage at this point. This impostor was shamelessly sucking up to Hien, the future ruler of Doma. He was way out of your league, yet this impostor clearly could not care less about the norms of society._

_While you knew that you could not interfere with the past, you still tried to. You screamed his name yet no sound came out. You reached out with your hand but nothing happened. All you could do was watch as the impostor moved closer to Hien, invaded his personal space while the fool of a man simply acted naturally._

_Suddenly, he pulled away and got to his feet, shaking his head. "...A-apologies, my friend. As much as I admire you, I cannot do this. It does not feel right to take advantage of you when you are clearly not yourself."_

_Just when you had sighed with relief, you saw the all-too familiar red mask appear in front of the impostor's face, and you were instantly filled with icy dread. You tried to intervene, moving in front of Hien but the Ascian went right through you and kissed Hien in the way you had also been kissed. Hien struggled and flailed but it was all in vain. The Ascian vanished, and both the past Hien and you thought that the danger was over..._

_Until Hien began sweating as his skin turned a sickly pale shade. He fell to the floor, writhing around as if he was in an incredible amount of pain. He groaned and even whimpered like an injured puppy, and it hurt you so much to see him like this. You itched to help him, to ease his suffering and to be there for him. But this was the past, and you could not change it._

_Yugiri burst into the room and rushed to his side, hastily checking him for injuries and feeling his face only to quickly recoil as if she had burnt herself. "My Lord!" she called out but got no response from him._

_The scene changed, and you saw Hien lying on his bed. He was still sickly pale but at least he had ceased to writhe around in pain. You could only watch as Yugiri brought in one physician after the other to examine him. To your despair, they all shook their heads afterwards and left. Yugiri finally knelt by his bed and begged him to remain alive while she went off to fetch you._

_Not long after she had left the room, a red mask appeared in front of Hien's face as he grinned in a malicious way that was entirely unlike him._

You were gasping for breath as you returned to your senses. To your surprise, you had remained sitting on the barstool. Then, as your vision cleared, you saw the Ascian in front of you and suddenly, it was no longer a surprise how you had remained seated with him holding you in place. "No..." you whispered.

"Farewell,  _Warrior of Light_. As you meet your end, the one true god shall arise, and the balance shall be restored."

You felt cold, clammy hands grasp at your arms and snake themselves around you while you were frozen in place and unable to protest. You had completely let down your guard and now you were paying dearly for it. You opened your mouth to scream but no sound came out. It was silent. Everything was silent. There was no wind, probably not even any air, yet you somehow knew that you were falling.

And you kept falling. Through the darkness, away from the light that was now a tiny, glowing speck above you.

No. This was  _not_ how you wanted things to end.

You whipped out a pair of daggers and stabbed them as hard as you could into the darkness in front of you, in hope of getting a hold on something. And to your amazement.. You succeeded. Your fall was gradually broken as your daggers sliced through something that almost felt like slicing through a thick curtain. Gradually, you came to a halt and found yourself suspended in what you assumed was mid-air.

Panicked screaming erupted around you as you felt solid stone beneath you. As the darkness lifted from your vision, you found yourself in what looked a little like the markets in Kugane, just... grander and quite a bit larger.

And surprisingly like how the streets of Doma had been described to you as they once were. Just with panicked people backing away from you, some of them clutching young children in their arms or hurriedly tugging them away by the hand.

You heard rough, male voices barking orders to stand aside, and you soon spotted guards approaching you, shouldering their way through the crowd. You turned and began to shoulder your way through the crowd, shoving people aside as gently as you could. Fortunately, they were already parting way for you, probably out of fear.

A strangely familiar man, about your age, suddenly grabbed your arm. You came to a stop and were about to tear your arm away from him when he shook his head, a steely look in his azure-blue eyes telling you to leave it to him. He stepped between you and the guards pursuing you, bowing respectfully. "Hey, hey! Gentlemen, please... I take full responsibility for my unruly wife's actions."

 _Wife!? Excuse me?_ you thought to yourself, frowning and crossing your arms. Despite your displeasure, you chose to give this man a chance. Whoever he was, that decisive look in his eyes reminded you painfully of Hien, yet those eyes were clearly not his. Besides, Hien would never dare call you his wife just like that. This man, on the other hand, sure had some nerve.

The small group of guards stopped in front of the man, who you still felt that you could somehow recognize yet you could not put a finger on who he was. One of them, his finer uniform as well as the insignia on his shoulder suggesting that he was some sort of higher-up, probably a captain, stepped forward. He had not drawn a weapon, although you half-expected him and the other guards to throw this man on the ground and begin kicking him.

To your great surprise, they did nothing of the sort, and the captain merely looked at him. "Then you would do well to keep an eye on your wife in the future. We cannot maintain order with this city's own citizens going wild."

"Of course, my good sir. She meant no harm, and I will personally see to that there will not be a repeat of this incident."

"Very well. Since this was merely a minor offence, you will be let off with a warning this time."

You opened your mouth to add something but closed it again without saying a word. It would be wise to stay out of this, particularly now that the situation had been dealt with.

"Yes, thank you, my kind sir!" The man looked immensely relieved and bowed once more to the captain before turning to you as the guards walked off to disperse the crowd of onlookers. "How do you feel? Are you hurt at all? That was quite a fall you took, I rushed here right away when I saw it. What were you thinking, running away and climbing the tower like that!? You could have broken your neck and  _died_!"

"...Uh, what?" You blinked at him in confusion, having just been bombarded with concern from someone who seemed like a complete stranger to you.

"Oh, dear. You must have received a concussion! Here, let me carry you home-"

"I can walk on my own, thank you very much," you hastily responded, brushing some dirt off your... kimono? His expression made it look like you had just slapped him. You immediately felt quite embarrassed at your own reaction to his well-meant offer. "I didn't mean it that way! It's just... ugh, I'm so confused right now, I don't even know where I am or who you are."

He looked at you in the way one would look at a lost puppy. He sighed and shook his head gently with a chuckle. "So, do you want to walk or be carried?"

As tempting as it was to respond that you wanted to be carried, just to see how far he would go to ensure your comfort, you remained determined that you would walk. "As long as my legs function as they should, I will walk. Thank you for the offer, though." You returned his smile... and reached out for his hand, as if it was a habit for you. You did not know why, but you felt drawn to this man. Not out of lust, but because you felt like you knew him. Very well, in fact. Almost as if you were old friends, and you simply could not recall the details.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please excuse my use of a cliche with the protagonist winding up in another world. I recently did The Chrysalis (ARR trial) for what feels like the millionth time, and I loved the concept of a void that the Ascian opens up and uses to tug the adventurers into another dimension or something. Although, this time, the WoL is thrown into something that is more of a reconstruction of her world, with some changes in their history (could be interesting to elaborate on how this world came to be...)
> 
> Anyway, I couldn't really see a better way to get the WoL to face the fact that her job isn't her life than by completely tearing her away from her own world and throwing her into a world where she is a nobody once more. Perhaps she'll learn a few things there, other than what it feels like to lose people and to be used as a somewhat irregular battle unit. :3


End file.
